NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION
HONORS CURRENT EMPLOYEES, REMEMBERS FALLEN COMRADES DURING 12TH ANNUAL MEMORIAL SERVICE & MEDALS CEREMONY

DOCCS Commissioner, Deputy Secretary to the Governor Present Medals to Four Correctional
Employees; Ceremony Also Honors 35 Who Died in the Line of Duty

ALBANY - Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner
Brian Fischer, joined by Elizabeth Glazer, Deputy Secretary to the
Governor for Public Safety, awarded four medals today to Correctional
Services employees for humanitarian and courageous acts, while honoring
the memory of employees who have died in the line of duty since 1861.

Correction Officer Jean Gagnon of Riverview
Correctional Facility (St. Lawrence County), while on
vacation, helped apprehend two individuals responsible for a homicide
in a wooded area near the Hoover Dam. By preserving the crime scene, Correction
Officer Gagnon's actions allowed the homicide division of the Las Vegas
Police Department to quickly apprehend two murderers.

Correction Officer's Thomas Makeyenko, John Matyas and Louis Petricca
of Gowanda Correctional Facility (Erie County)
witnessed an accident on Interstate 90 and helped extract the driver from
his vehicle before it became fully engulfed in flames. Their immediate
actions were instrumental in ensuring that the victim of this accident
received prompt medical attention, which could have saved is life. Sadly,
the victim succumbed to his injuries approximately two weeks later.

In a message, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said: “It is fitting that
we pay tribute to all of the dedicated men and women at the Department who
serve our State’s residents and ensure the safety and security of
our communities.

“The four officers receiving Medals of Merit are outstanding representatives
of the more than 30,000 employees of the newly merged Department, a nationally-recognized
leader in corrections and community supervision. I thank all of the employees
of the Department who maintain outstanding standards of service to their
fellow citizens.”

Deputy Secretary Glazer said: “Today we honor the members of the
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision who made the ultimate
sacrifice in their service to the people of this state, and celebrate the
heroism and dedication of four members from the Gowanda and Riverview Correctional
Facilities. Because of their hard work and dedication, our correctional
system is one of the safest in the nation. On behalf of Governor Cuomo,
I thank them for their selfless service.”

Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos said, “New York’s corrections
professionals exhibit great strength and courage both at work in our facilities
and at home in our communities. I join everyone today in expressing my gratitude
to this year’s Medal of Merit recipients for their service in some
of the most difficult workplaces, and I am especially appreciative of the
sacrifices made by those who died in the line of duty.”

Assemblyman Jeffrion L. Aubry said, “Today and every day the men
and women who work in our facilities are our heroes. Those who have given
their lives, and those who have risked their lives as today’s award
recipients have, make every New Yorker proud, and make every New Yorker
safer. Today we recognize, honor, and extend our appreciation to these courageous
employees of Gowanda and Riverview Correctional Facilities, and to each
and every employee of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision,
over 30,000 employees strong, who sacrifice daily for this state to make
the great State of New York a safer and better place for us and our children.”

Commissioner Fischer said: "As a newly merged agency now supervising over
91,000 offenders, the perils of our work environment remain a reality in
our lives, but so too do the rewards we take away from serving the citizens
of our state. And while we often see the worst aspects of the human condition,
we also see the best. Today's ceremony pays fitting tribute to our colleagues
who paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting the safety of all New Yorkers
and we also honor our fellow corrections professionals who selflessly came
to the aid of others, following the principals and training that have made
them outstanding members of our Department. So long as we remember those
who came before us, and take notice of those who have stepped up and acted
with honor as our medal awardees have done, we will not only continue, but
also advance our efforts to operate the best correctional and parole system
in the country."

The annual ceremony takes place at the Academy's 50-acre Albany
campus. Since 1984, the Department has awarded 106 medals of merit
and 46 medals of honor. The centerpiece of the memorial park in front
of the Academy is an Empire blue granite memorial that stands 12 feet
high, 6 feet wide, 18 inches deep and weighs 19,711 pounds. The names
of fallen employees are enshrined with plaques displayed in the
Academy Memorial Room. Governor Cuomo's proclamation of June 12-18,
2011 as "Corrections and Community Supervision Employee Week" is also
on display there.